Wescape will create 300 000 jobs - firms

An artist's impression of Wescape, the planned mini city expected to be built between Melkbosstrand and Atlantis.

Cape Town -

Companies behind the R140 billion Wescape development say 300 000 jobs could be created over 20 years.

The development has been proposed by Bellandia, CommuniTgrow, Target Projects, Pact Developers, Ariya Projects and ARG Design.

According to the proposal, the development would involve 10 phases over the next 20 years.

Developers say a “critical mass” of population would make the local economy viable and could take advantage of key growth areas such as the green, business outsourcing, call centre, IT and communication sectors

In a city report, officials said employment opportunities had to be secured before the construction of housing. The report also said the city’s human settlements department had to enter into an agreement to ensure that 50 000 subsidy and 50 000 so-called gap houses were built on the site.

The developers said 25 percent would be subsidy houses for people earning less than R3 500 a month, and 25 percent gap housing for those earning less than R4 500.

Gavin Silber from the Social Justice Coalition said the city should focus on upgrading informal settlements and density housing around the city centre.

“Cape Town’s biggest urban challenge is reducing the spatial legacy of apartheid-era planning. The poor overwhelmingly continue to reside on the city’s periphery while the more affluent live and work in the inner city and surrounding suburbs. By the city’s own admission, delivering bulk infrastructure to a project at this scale will take funds away from (informal settlements) and other critical areas.”